Safety bathing suit



sept. 18 192;").

,L. LA RIZZA SAFETY BATHING sun Filed May 26. 1922 Invenfir,

LouisLizZa;

Fatented Sept. 18, 1923.

LOUIS LA RIZZA, OF REVERE, MASSACHUSETTS.

SAFETY BA'I'HING SUIT.

Application filed May 26,

To all whom it mag] concern: V

'Be it known that 1, Louis R-IZZA, a citizen of the United States, residing at Re- 7 .VSIG, in the county ofSuffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Bathing Suits, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is the construction of a garment, either a bathing suit, a'vest, a sweater or otherwise, which shall not be noticeable when worn, which shall not in any way interfere with the wearers arms or legs or other bodily movements, but which shallbe capable of sustaining him in the water.

To this end, Iattach to a fabric preferably by stitches, a large number of buoy ant separate elements which unitedly are sufficient to supply the buoyancy desired. Such elements I prefer to compose of cork,

V and to be in the shape of circular plates or disks abouta quarter of an inch inthiclrness and about one inch in. diameter, although such dimensions are not essential;

In the drawings formingpart of this specification, Fig. 1 is. a perspective view of a life preserving armor embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a face View substantially full size of one of the buoyant elements, showing the same attached to a'section of fabric. Fig. '3 is an edge View of the same.

In Fig. 1, the garment selected for illustration is a sleeveless sweater 1 having a belt attachedv to its Waist line, this belt 2 being of well known make and having a buckle orother tightening device 3. To the outer surface of this garment 1, and preferably the whole of it, are attached the buoyant elements 4 by means of stitches 5 here shown as disposed in a'circularlinebut may be arranged as desired v As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the buoyant ele- 1922. SerialNo. 563,787.

ments 4- are about quarter of an inch in thickness and one inch in diameter. It made too small, more labor is needed in at taching them to the fabric, and if too large in diameter, they may interfere with-the requisite flexibility of the garment, but the dimensionsrecited seem to give the best results.

While an outer protecting covering can be applied over the buoyant elements, if desired, the same is not at all necessary, but I prefer it on some accounts. F or example, by stitching the outer fabric 6 to the inner fabric 1 along lines of stitches at right angles to each other between the rows of buoyant elements, as indicated in Fig. 3 at 7, it

is unnecessary to attach the disks l indi- .vidually to the fabric.

The life saving armor as shown in Fig. 1,

or if provided with a fabric lining, can be readily stitched within an ordinary bathing suit, or any other garment.

Thus made, my lire saving armour does not disfigure the person wearing it. In

fact, it is practically invisible even when 'worn beneath a thin suit, although its buoyancy is ample to support any person in the water.

Its flexibility, given thereto by the inde pendence of the small cork disks, prevents it from interfering with the actions of its wearer, either while swimming or performing other athletic stunts.

A swimming suit comprising a fabric fitted to the body of a person and a multiplicity of thin cork disks stitched thereto with their flat surfaces against the fabric.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing invention, I have hereunto set my hand this 24th day of May, 1922.

LOUIS LA RIZZA. 

